> Hi Everyone -
> Could anyone who's had experience with stillborn pup please let me know
> the state you found it in; after finding pup remains from this last
> litter I am concerned about what kind of parent this new mother gerbil
> is. Is it normal that a stillborn pup is consumed? Or should I be
> worried that she attacked one born live?
>
> Any replies would be much appreciated. Thanks! Donna
>
It is common for mothers to eat the stillborns. They seem to wait a couple
hours after the birth to consume them. Sometimes they just kick the
stillborn out of the nest or it gets buried under the other pups.
The state that the stillborns is in varies. Some look like normally
developed pups, other are real small, and once I found one that was mostly a
grey blob.
I doubt she attacked them when they were alive. The mothers will sometimes
kill them if they know something is wrong with the pup.
Ann-Marie Roberts
T&T Gerbils, member of the AGS
Pup Count Project creator and maintainer
Please visit my website and pup count project at:
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Reserve/1928/
The American Gerbil Society
http://www.geocities.com/amergerbsoc/index.html
